CLES is 40 🎉

To mark this moment, our former director and chair, Michael Ward, reflects on how the threat of the abolition of the Greater London Council and other metropolitan counties led to the birth of CLES 🐣

🔗 cles.org.uk/cles-at-40-f...

Great to see you!

A very happy 40th birthday to @clesthinkdo.bsky.social!

A great line up of speakers @mayorofgm.bsky.social @bevcraig.bsky.social @allymcgovern.bsky.social @sarahlonglands.bsky.social all pointing to the need to overturn 40 years of an economic ideology based on extraction.

CLES began as a collective response to difficult times for local economies ✊

Today, in an age of permacrisis, our purpose matters more than ever 🌍

We’ve rebranded for the first time 20 years - a renewal for what comes next 🔥

@sarahlonglands.bsky.social writes 👇

cles.org.uk/cles-at-40-r...

Text: Senior digital comms officer, lead on developing and driving digital strategy for NEF, salary: £49,525-55,003, hours 32 full time, deadline: 28 April

Exciting opportunity to join our team as a senior digital comms officer!

We're looking for someone with experience of leading impactful digital communications strategies or campaigns to help us maximise our impact.

Find out more and apply: neweconomics.org/about/work-w...

CLES has a fresh new identity 🌱

From today, we are the Centre for Local Economies - an independent think tank and charity that puts economics in its place 🏘️

🔗 www.cles.org.uk

Polanski positions Greens’ economic policy as radical alternative to Reeves Offer to reform taxes, tackle ‘rip-off Britain’ and overhaul fiscal rules could tempt exasperated Labour supporters

As @guardianheather.bsky.social points out in her analysis of @zackpolanski.bsky.social speech today, Rachel Reeves launched her Everyday Economics pamphlet at NEF in 2018. Here's a quick quiz: whose speech contained each of the following?

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Great to spend St Patrick’s day with @clesthinkdo.bsky.social team in the office with sunshine and good food in manchester ☘️

Special deliveries Local government is responsible for providing a diverse range of local services, many of which are delivered directly by local authorities and their partners. But...

Since 1988, outsourcing services once delivered by councils has reshaped the geography of local spend, meaning profit often leaves communities. But councils are rediscovering the value of keeping services - & wealth - local 💡

🔗 @sarahlonglands.bsky.social for the MJ: www.themj.co.uk/special-deli...

Members of the Scottish Parliament have just voted to pass the world’s first piece of legislation on Community Wealth Building

This is a huge opportunity to ensure that when Scotland has economic growth, we use it to reduce wealth inequality and support communities to thrive

'Dr @sarahlonglands.bsky.social, chief executive of Manchester-based think tank CLES, describes the fund as 'fiscally creative'. She says the Labour mayor is 'making the right noises' when it comes to building community wealth and procurement that supports the local supply chain' ⤵️

Really proud that we are publishing this new work today as part of Reclaiming Our Regional Economies.

Making extraction visible - it matters because this is about using public resources effectively in the public interest

Idea for BBC R4: quality BBC journos, serious investigative reports, interviewers on top of subjects, balanced coverage of parties. No breathless reporting of Reform, journos as ‘experts’, book pluggers, pop song lyrics, football banter. Could be broadcast 06:00-09:00.

A new era? While for many working in policy, the forthcoming Budget is a key milestone in the political cycle, for most people it happens to them and then they are told how...

"Can the Budget be a line in the sand where the Gov unleashes a new era of political empathy with difficulties such as paying the bills, having secure, well-paid work, somewhere to live, accessing services & getting care for loved ones?"

✒️ @sarahlonglands.bsky.social writes: www.themj.co.uk/new-era

Great to be at the #decarbonisingdublin summit organised by @codemadublin.bsky.social and listening to the fabulous @donnagartland.bsky.social introducing the day

Promotional graphic for Carnegie UK's webinar. How is life in the UK in 2025? Join us on Tuesday 28th October, 10-11am, as we explore the latest findings from our Life in the UK index. Hear from Susan Pinkney as she shares key findings from this year’s report, with reflections from Grace Blakeley.

How is life in the UK in 2025?

Join us on Tue 28 Oct, 10-11am, for our Life in the UK 2025 webinar.

Hear our key findings from Susan Pinkney with reflections from @graceblakeley.substack.com.

Find out more and book your place: carnegieuk.org/event/how-is...

We are proud to announce that our Chief Executive, Dr @sarahlonglands.bsky.social, has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director to the board of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 👏

www.gov.uk/government/n...

FIVE BOLD TAX MOVES THE CHANCELLOR COULD MAKE IN TO PLUG THE GAP IN THE AUTUMN BUDGET ⬇️

Fixing Britain’s Failed State - Insights North East Details Date: October 15 Time: 05:00 pm - 07:00 pm Click to Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fixing-britains-failed-state-tickets-1674869984209 Organizer Insights North East Website: https://www...

Second, we are discussing @samfr.bsky.social’s hugely popular book with Sam and a great panel: Martin Brookes (VONNE), Adrian Dougherty (NECA), @sarahlonglands.bsky.social (CLES), Sajda NawazBhatti (Newcastle City Council), Jo Fox ( @newcastleuni.bsky.social)

insightsnortheast.co.uk/event/fixing...

For #IEDConf2025, we welcome back @sarahlonglands.bsky.social, Chief Executive @clesthinkdo.bsky.social.

Sarah will be joining our Question Time panel, sponsored by The Growth Company.

Ticket sales are strong, so grab yours whilst they are still available sasevents.eventsair.com/ied-conferen...!

Looking beyond growth I was reminded this week of Michael Heseltine's 2012 report, No stone unturned: in pursuit of growth, which featured a cartoon of the man himself hunting for growth...

"While the official measurement of growth is GDP or GVA, speak to councillors...& they will talk about jobs, security, housing & special educational needs support"

@sarahlonglands.bsky.social writes about why we must look beyond growth in her latest column ⤵️

www.themj.co.uk/looking-grow...

From Whitehall to Townhall: What the English Devolution Bill Needs - Compass The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill provides a once-in-a-generation chance to deliver the radical change to local government needed […]

🗣️ Today, MPs will debate the English Devo Bill. There's a notable omission: fiscal devo.

💬 In a new essay for @compassoffice.bsky.social, @sarahlonglands.bsky.social explains the fiscal devo debate, & argues for Prescott’s vision for a federalist nation.

🔗 www.compassonline.org.uk/publications...

🪴 We’re pleased to welcome @sarahlonglands.bsky.social
from the @clesthinkdo.bsky.social as one of our #DecarbonisingDublin Summit 2025 speakers!
Innovation for achieving a low-carbon Dublin is one of our main discussions. Get your early-bird ticket: bit.ly/4mBUoKY

'If we want to keep the spirit of Oasis alive in Manchester and help an Oasis of the future thrive, we've got to make sure people can come through the system'

@sarahlonglands.bsky.social of @clesthinkdo.bsky.social on the Northern Agenda podcast

Listen here: podfollow.com/the-northern...

The Northern Agenda: Don't Look Back In Anger: Reform UK cancels Durham's climate emergency With Oasis' Manchester gigs the talk of the town, even senior politicians like Commons Leader Lucy Powell can't resist making groan-inducing puns about the Gallagher brothers' classic songs.But wit...

This week on the Northern Agenda podcast, @liamthorp.bsky.social and I are joined by the brilliant @sarahlonglands.bsky.social to talk

- How do we spread the benefits of the Oasis gigs?

- What's really going on with Reform UK revoking the climate emergency in Durham?

podfollow.com/the-northern...

Great news and something we’ve been calling for at @clesthinkdo.bsky.social for many years

To all who think capitalism can drive progressive change, it won’t – and here’s the shocking proof | Polly Toynbee Asset manager Aberdeen’s surprise cut to funding research into inequality has left those that used its grants for good work reeling, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

Really shocking behaviour on so many levels - poor leadership snd management. @financialfairness.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

How Reform’s anti-asylum message won over Durham’s former mining communities [FREE TO READ] Populist party is already taking credit for a Home Office contractor’s pause in asylum placements

A second free push for this. I’m slightly surprised that the doge thing is the only element of the Reform local govt agenda that seems to have captured the national chat in any way. From where I’m sitting, this is the bit of their agenda, and their politics, to watch before that

on.ft.com/44qrdlT

My view for the afternoon - what a wonderful place to work @hawkwoodcft.bsky.social

🏴 This week at #RoyalHighlandShow: @sarahlonglands.bsky.social joins @scottishlandcom.bsky.social's panel on Scotland’s rural land market (Fri 20 June, from 3pm).

She’ll share CLES insights on public value + natural capital ⬇️
cles.org.uk/publications...

#LandReform #CLES